Neighbor Island briefs
Advertiser Staff
Maui women killed in fire identified
KiHEI, Maui — A woman who died in a Maui Meadows house fire Friday evening has been identified as 42-year-old Beth Whitcomb.
Whitcomb was a mother of two and vice president of Haleakala Plumbing & Solar Inc., a company she operated with her husband, James Whitcomb.
Fire department investigators are continuing to look into the cause of the fire, which broke out at 8:20 p.m. Friday at 661 Ka'apuni Place.
Capt. Neal Bal of the Fire Prevention Bureau said his inspectors are waiting for the police department to release a 911 tape that contains Whitcomb's call.
Three fire crews responded to the alarm. It took about 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze. Firefighters found Whitcomb inside the home. She apparently was home alone at the time.
An autopsy will be conducted this week to determine the cause of death.
Damage to the house and contents was estimated at $280,000.
Man found dead in ocean identified
WAILUKU, Maui — A man whose nude body was found July 8 in the ocean off Kahului has been identified as Stephen Vaczi, 20, of Honolulu.
Lt. Glenn Cuomo of the Maui Police Department said dental records were used to identify the man. An autopsy indicated he drowned.
Although foul play is not suspected, police have yet to piece together the events leading up to Vaczi's death. Cuomo said Vaczi apparently came to Maui a few days before he died.
Maui Sierra Club to mark 25 years
HA'IKï, Maui — The Maui Group of the Sierra Club will celebrate its 25th anniversary with music, dancing, food, games and a treasure hunt from 2 to 6 p.m. Aug. 4.
The event will be held at a 10-acre preserve in Ha'iku at 688 E. Kuiaha Road. The cost is $5 for adults, free for children less than 12 years of age.
Volunteers are needed. To sign up to help or get more information, call (808) 572-7599.
Elderly Moloka'i man is missing
KAUNAKAKAI, Moloka'i — A Maui Fire Department helicopter was used yesterday to search for an elderly man who wandered away from his home in Kalama'ula.
Wally Silva, 72, was reported missing yesterday by family members who said they'd last seen him around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, said Lt. Danny Matsuura of the Maui Police Department.
Silva's daughter, Heli Silva, said her father suffers from Alzheimer's disease and has wandered from home before. However, the longest he has been gone was 12 hours.
Firefighters and police officers searched the central part of the island yesterday without luck. Officials were considering whether to continue the effort today.
Wally Silva is 5 feet, 8 inches tall, weighs 145 pounds and has white hair. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and a long-sleeved, white-and-yellow shirt. Anyone with information on his whereabouts should call Moloka'i police at (808) 553-5355.
Substance abuse class planned
KAUNAKAKAI, Moloka'i — Substance abuse recovery expert Jose A. Rivera will conduct a free workshop on Moloka'i from 8:30 a.m. to noon Aug. 2.
The workshop, "Addiction and the Power of Recovery," will be held at the Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center.
Rivera, head of a management and consulting firm in New York and Washington, D.C., will emphasize recovery approaches used in Native Hawaiian and Native American programs.
Sponsors of the workshop are Maui County, the Moloka'i Community Services Council and the Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center. It is open to the public. For more information, call (808) 553-3244.
Meeting to discuss Wailuku River
HILO, Hawai'i — County officials will meet Thursday to discuss how to make Wailuku River safer for swimmers.
Over the years, the swirling river has claimed numerous lives, many of them children. The most recent death occurred June 13.
Mayor Harry Kim will convene the multi-agency meeting at 5 p.m. at the Hawai'i County Civil Defense Agency office near the police complex between Ululani and Kapi'olani streets.
Participants will include representatives from the Civil Defense Agency, and the police, fire and public works departments.
The meeting is open to the public.
